Container forming a presenter in open position

ABSTRACT

The present invention proposes a solution permitting a holder to be obtained that can container a large number of objects while allowing easy opening, effective presentation, easy selection, and a reduction in space used by the holder. The invention has as its object a container ( 1 ) such as a holder or a case that has at least two substantially plane ends ( 2, 3 ) connected by a longitudinal body ( 4 ), which includes means of opening an closing ( 6 ) extending along at least one line called “line of opening” prolonged over only a section of the periphery of the longitudinal body ( 4 ), the other section, which does not include means of opening and dosing ( 6 ) is thus located equidistant from the ends ( 2, 3 ) of the container ( 1 ) and constitutes a hinge ( 7 ) between the two parties (A 1 , B 1 ) formed at the time of opening, in such a way that after being opened, at least two parts (A 1 , B 1 ) are formed, [characterized by the facts] that the virtual straight line passing through the hinge ( 7 ) and the point diametrically opposite to the line of opening forms a non-right angle (a) with the line consisting of the rim of the longitudinal body ( 4 ) to the right of the hinge ( 7 ) and that the longitudinal body ( 4 ) has means of holding ( 8 - 9 ) said two or more parts (A 1 , B 1 ) in open position.

This invention concerns a container such as a case or a holder thatpermits a good presentation of the objects that it contains and a spacesavings during use.

The simplest cases generally have a cylindrical shape and have alongitudinal opening that permits separation of the edges of theopening, the objects to be uncovered and removed. However, when the caseis full (for example with pens), the user is often obligated to emptyit, at least partially, in order to make his choice and remove theobject that interests him. To the loss of time caused by this action isadded the loss of space caused by spreading of the objects outside ofthe container. In the case of a makeup box, it is sometimes impossibleto empty it partially, because of the place where the user findsherself. She is then obligated to search rapidly in the container, witha risk of damaging certain particularly fragile objects.

Sometimes solutions exist without giving complete satisfaction, however.

In order to identify the state of the art, a holder can be cited with agenerally cylindrical shape that has a transverse opening perpendicularto the generating lines and place oneself near one of its ends. Byopening this type of holder, the user uncovers the objects contained inthe holder at their ends, which permits selection to be facilitated.However, once his choice has been made, the user lays the holder on thetable in an extended position, in order to use the object. When he isfinished or wants to choose another object, the user must grasp theholder and turn it, in order to view the objects, replace the object,and/or select another.

Another solution consists of making a holder in the shape of a flatparallelepiped and providing means of opening and closing it along threesides, in order that it can be opened in the manner of a book.

Generally, this type of container has means of presentation for theobjects it contains, in order to facilitate the choice and thepresentation. The principal inconveniences of this type of holder arethe significant limitation on the number of objects, as well as the highcost, due to the rigid or semi-rigid materials to be used and the meansof presentation to be included.

The present invention overcomes the inconveniences of the knownsolutions and proposes a solution that permits a holder to be obtainedthat can contain a large number of objects while allowing easy opening,effective presentation, an easy choice, and a reduction in space used bythe holder.

For this purpose, the invention has as its object a container such as aholder or a case that has at least two substantially plane ends joinedby a longitudinal body that includes means of opening and closing,characterized by the facts that the means or opening extend at leastalong a line called the “opening line,” reaching only a section of theperiphery of the longitudinal body, the other section, which does notinclude means of opening and dosing is thus located at an equal distancefrom the ends of the container and constitutes a hinge between the twoparts created at the time of the opening, so that after the opening, atleast two parts are formed, that the virtual straight line passingthrough the hinge and the diametrically opposite point of the line ofopening forms a non-right angle with the straight line formed by the rimof the longitudinal body to the right of the hinge, in order to reducethe risks of jamming due to the objects contained, and that thelongitudinal body has means for holding said two or more parts in openposition.

According to the particular embodiments:

-   -   the means of opening and closing extend over two lines of        opening, at least one of which being prolonged over the entire        periphery of the longitudinal body, in such a way that three        parts are formed;    -   the means of opening consist of a zipper or of a mechanical        closure with loops and hooks.    -   the means of holding consists of a mechanical closure with loops        and hooks or of at least one pressure button or at least one        coil.

Other characteristics of the invention will be given in the detaileddescription below, which is made with references to the attacheddiagrams, which show, respectively:

FIG. 1: an overall schematic view in perspective of a containerconforming to the invention, in closed position, and having a singleline of opening:

FIG. 2: a schematic view in perspective of the container of FIG. 1, inopen position;

FIG. 3: a schematic view in perspective of the container resembling thatof FIG. 1, but of which the opening line forms a much more acute anglewith the edge of the container.

FIG. 4: a schematic view in perspective of the container of FIG. 3 inopen position.

FIG. 5: a schematic view in perspective of a container conforming to theinvention, of corrugated cardboard and having a window permitting a userto see the objects contained;

FIG. 6: a schematic view in perspective of the container of FIG. 5, inopen position;

FIG. 7: a schematic view in perspective of a container conforming to theinvention and having two lines of opening.

It is understood, of course, that the description and the design aregiven only by way of an indicative and non-limiting example.

The container 1 represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a pencil holder definedby a cylinder of revolution having two substantially plane, circularends 2 and 3 connected by a longitudinal body 4. This has means ofopening and closing consisting of a zipper 6 that extends along a linecalled “line of opening” prolonged over a section of the periphery ofthe longitudinal body 4 and forming an acute angle with the edge of saidlongitudinal body 4. The opening line thus has an elliptical shape.

The other section of the periphery of the longitudinal body 4, whichdoes not include a zipper, is located at an equal distance from the endsof the container and consists of a hinge 7 between the two parts A1 andB1 formed at the time of opening.

In other words, the virtual straight line passing through the hinge andthe diametrically opposite point of the line of opening forms annon-right angle with the line consisting of the rim of the longitudinalbody 4 to the right of the hinge 7.

In addition, the longitudinal body 4 has a male part 8 and a female part9 of a pressure button. These two parties are fixed on either side ofthe hinge 7, in such a way that they face each other and cooperate whenthe container is open (FIG. 2).

In order to open the container 1, the user grasps part B, activates thezipper 6 and touches part A1 according to a circular movement, thanks tothe hinge 7, which constitutes the axis of rotation. Then he make themale part B and the female part 9 of the pressure button cooperate, sothat parts A1 and B1 of the container 1 are attached to each other,which is shown in FIG. 2.

In this embodiment, it is fundamental that the hinge 7 be equidistantfrom the ends 2 and 3 of the container 1, in order that, after opening,the two ends 2 and 3 will be coplanar, that is, in an extension of eachother, and that the contact surface between the holder 1 and the supporton which it is placed are large enough that the container remainsstable. In this way, a holder is obtained that permits clearpresentation of all the pens contained in it, while permitting easygrasping. The area occupied of the container in open position is small,and it is restricted to the area of the two ends 2 and 3 of thecontainer 1, which is less than the area occupied by a container of thesame size, but provided with classical longitudinal opening used flatthat is, supported on the longitudinal body.

The shape of the container 1 as a pencil pot in open position offers thepossibility of arranging the pencils in part A1 and making selection ofa pencil even easier by distributing them over a larger volume. If themeans for holding the two parts against each other consist of classicalpressure button, the use should exert a relatively large pressureagainst the two parts of the button, but inserting his fingers into thetwo parts A1 and B1 of the container, between the pens and thelongitudinal body 4, which can be uncomfortable, even dangerous, if thecontainer contains a compass, for example. In a preferred embodiment,the pressure button used will be of the type of those used in handbags,that is, buttons where the male part 8 is held solidly to the femalepart 8 by magnetism and not by mechanical jamming. These magneticpressure buttons permit the user to hold the two parts A1 and B1 in openposition by simply placing the male part 8 and the female part 9opposite each other, they cooperate with each other by magneticattraction. In this way, the user is not obligated to insert his fingersinto the container in order to apply a force to the two parts of thepressure button.

The angle a between the line of opening and the edge of the longitudinalbody 4 permits, on the one hand, part A1 of the container 1 not to behindered or prevented by the objects contained in the container frombeing touched and, on the other, easy presentation of the pens when thecontainer 1 is open. The greater the angle a between the line of openingand the edge of the longitudinal body 4 chosen by the manufacturer is,that is the closer the line of opening is to the end 2, the less openingis hindered by the pens.

In fact, at the time of opening and closing of container, the point ofthe line of opening opposite the hinge 7 follows a circular trajectory,the center of which is the hinge 7. The pens being higher than the lineof opening, they can hinder opening and closing of the container byblocking movement of part A1 by jamming against the inner wall of thelongitudinal body 4 at the level of said line of opening.

By reducing the angle a, that is by bring the point of the line ofopening opposite the hinge 7 of end 2, the manufacturer increases theradius of the circular trajectory of said point and reduces the risks ofjamming do to the pens. It is thus convenient to adapt the angle of theline of opening to the container being manufactured and to the objectsthat can be used with this container.

To close the container 1, the user detaches parts A1 and B1 of thecontainer 1 by making a pulling movement to overcome the force ofmagnetic attraction of the pressure button and to separate the male part8 and the female part 9.

Another embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, illustrates a makeup box 10conforming to the invention, the line of opening of which forms an anglea′ less than the angle a of container 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2, in such a waythat the line of opening is almost tangent to the perimeter of the end12.

The means of opening and closing, consisting of a zipper 16, extend overa line of opening prolonged over only a section of the periphery, insuch a way that the other section, which does not include means ofopening and dosing 16, is located equidistant from the ends 12 and 13 ofthe makeup box 10 and constitute a hinge 17 between the two parts A2 andB2 formed at the time of opening.

Thus the virtual straight line passing through the hinge 17 and thepoint diametrically opposite the line of opening forms a non-right anglea′ with the straight line constituted by the rim of the longitudinalbody 14 to the right of the hinge 17. The longitudinal body 14 isprovided with means of holding identical to those presented in thepreceding diagrams.

In open position (FIG. 4), the two parts A1 and B2 formed at the time ofopening are held against each other thanks to the male part 18 and thefemale part 19 of the magnetic pressure button. The acute angle a′permits a large presentation surface to be obtained for the objectscontained in the part B2 of the makeup box 10. When it is chosen to makethe line of opening pass tangentially to an end 12, the closed volume ofpart A2 is minimized to the maximum. Part A2 has a mirror 20 attachedparallel to the line of opening, in such a way as to present the largestpossible area and to be oriented toward the user

Such a mirror can constitute an obstacle to dosing the container, sinceit closed space of part A2, which space cannot be use by the objectscontained in part B2.

If the makeup box is not completely full, the objects can be appliedagainst the wall of part B2.

A solution consists of equipping part B2 with at least one device forarranging the objects, in order to organize their storage by size, thesmallest ones being planned to be near the hinge 17 and the larger onesnear the side opposite the hinge 17.

In order save a little space and therefore room for the objectscontained in part B2, the mirror 20 is attached at a height h from theedge of part A2. According to a possible variant, the height h is notconstant, that is, the mirror 20 is attached at a height h form the edgenear the hinge 17 and at a height less than h near the side opposite thehinge 17.

FIGS. 5 and 6 present a pencil box 30 conforming to the invention,having two substantially plane ends 32, 33, connected by a longitudinalbody 34, which includes means of opening and closing 36, which extendalong a line of opening prolonged over the entire periphery of thelongitudinal body 34, in such aw ay that the two parts A3 and B3 formedat the time of opening can be separated and associated by means ofholding.

The longitudinal body 34 also has means of holding 38-39 the two partsA3 and B3 in open position.

The means of opening and closing 36 consist of a simple cutout from thecorrugated cardboard composing the walls of the box 30. Part A3 islocked onto part B3, so that the box 30 does not open accidentally, bymeans not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and known to experts in the field. Forexample, locking can be provided by a cord attached firmly to one ofparts A3 or B3 that attaches to a piece, such as a thumbtack inserted inthe other part B3 or A3 or such as a button sewn onto this part, andwinds around the point of this piece or the stitching of the button. Avariant can include a mechanical closure with loops and hooks of theVelcro type.

In order to open the box 30, the user detaches the means of closing andraised part A3 to disengage part B3 and the pencils it contains.

In order to use the box as a presenter or as a pencil pot, the userassociates parts A3 and B3 in order to improve the stability of the boxin open position by increase the support area (consisting of the totalof the areas of the ends 32 and 33) on a base.

The association of parts A3 and B3 is permitted by the cooperation ofthe male part 38 and the female part 39 of a magnetic pressure buttonidentical to the one described previously. The association is evenstronger, since the channels appearing on the walls of the box intermeshto form a solid wall.

The box 30 is provided with a window 40 made in the longitudinal body34. This window 40 is covered on the inner surface of the longitudinalbody 34 by a sheet of transparent plastic 42, to permit the user to seethe pencils and to identify them according to their type, color, and/ortheir special features when the box is closed. It is understood, ofcourse, that the plastic sheet is not necessary, and it only serves toprotect the pencils that are located inside the box.

A container conforming to this embodiment is sold closed for varioustypes of utensils such as crayons, felt-tips, pens, etc.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the container 60 has threesubstantially plane ends 61, 62, and 63 connected by a longitudinal body64, which includes means of opening and closing 65 and 66, which extendalong two lines of opening, one prolonged over the entire periphery ofthe longitudinal body, in such a way that three parts A5, B5, and C5 areformed. The longitudinal body 64 has means for holding said three partsA5, B5, and C5 in open position.

Parts A5 and B5 are separated by a line of opening that extends overonly a section of the periphery of the longitudinal body 64, in such away that the other section, which does not include means of opening anclosing 65, is equidistant from the ends 62 and 63 of the container 60and constitute a hinge 67 between the two parts A5 and B5 created at thetime of opening.

Part C5 is associated with part A5 by means of an opening line extendingover the entire circumference of the container 60 and has means ofopening and dosing 60 consisting of a mechanical closure with lops andhooks.

Part C5 thus constitutes a supplementary compartment that permits theobject that one desires to keep separated from those contained in partsA5 and B5, such as, for example, paper dips, thumbtacks, cotton ballsfor removing makeup, which one does not want to get damaged and/orsoiled by the makeup material, etc.

When the container 60 is opened, the user separates part C5 from part A5and opens the container by activating the zipper in order to make partA5 touch against part B5 and keep them against each other thanks to amagnetic pressure button. It associates part C5 with the other two parts(by holding means not show of the type of those already described), sothat the ends 61, 62, and 63 are coplanar. It thus constitutes a verystable set of thee compartments associated with one another. The variousembodiments can be combined with one another, and variants can beprovided without thereby leaving the scope of the invention.

In particular, the container can be rigid or semi-rigid, the means ofopening can consist of a waterproof linear closure with lips, and themeans of holding can consists of at least one coil.

The mirror of the makeup box conforming to the invention can be attachedimmovably to part A2 in order to permit access to the space of part A2,which extend blow the mirror when the container is in open position. Theuser can then store objects such as cotton bells, boxes of colored basepowder, etc. The container can be provided with additional means ofstabilizing the container in open position, such as, for example,retractable plastic feet that permit the area of contact with thesupport base to be increased.

Without leaving the invention, a line of opening can be provided with anangle so acute that the line of opening is prolonged over an end 12.Thus, in the open position, part B1 has part of end 12 and part A1 hasonly the other part of end 12 and no longer has a closed space. Thispart thus has no other role that that of stabilizing the container inopen position. This stabilization being obtained by increasing the areaof contact of the container with the support base, it is necessary thatthe area of end 12 attached to part A be large enough for this role.

The various lines of opening can have arbitrary shapes, for examplesinusoidal, shark-tooth shape, etc. A window can be used with allembodiments described, as well as with their variants.

Finally, the container can be provided with additional pockets.

1. A container (1, 10, 30, 60) such as a holder or a case, having atleast two substantially plane ends (2, 3, 12, 13, 32, 33, 61, 62, 63)connected by a longitudinal body (4, 14, 34, 64) including means ofopening and closing (6, 16, 36, 65, 66), characterized by the facts thatthe means of opening and dosing (6, 16, 36, 65, 66) extend along atleast one line called “line of opening” prolonged over only a section ofthe periphery of the longitudinal body (4, 14, 34, 64), the section thatdoes not include means of opening and closing (6, 16) thus being locatedequidistant from the ends (2, 3, 12, 13) of the container (1, 10) andconstituting a hinge (7, 17) between the two parts (A, B, A1, B1)created at the time of opening, in such a way that after opening, atleast two parts (A1, B1, A2, B2, A3, B3, A5, B5, C5) are created, thatthe virtual straight line passing through the hinge (7, 37) and thepoint diametrically opposite the line of opening form a non-right angle(a, a′) with the line consisting of the rim of the longitudinal body (4,34, 64) to the right of the hinge (7, 37), to reduce the risks ofjamming due to the objects contained, and that the longitudinal body (4,14, 34,64) has means of holding (8-9, 18-19, 38-39, 68-69) said two ormore parts (A1, B1, A2, B2, A3, B3, A5, B5, C5) in open position.
 2. Acontainer (60) according to claim 1, in which the means of opening andclosing (65, 66) extend along two lines of opening, at least one ofwhich (66) is prolonged over the entire periphery of the longitudinalbody (64), in such a way that three parts (A5, B5, C5) are formed.
 3. Acontainer according to claim 1, in which the means of opening and dosingconsist of a zipper.
 4. A container according to claim 1, in which themeans of opening consist of a mechanical closure with loops and hooks.5. A container according to claim 1, in which the means of holdingconsist of a mechanical closure with loops and hooks.
 6. A containeraccording to claim 1, in which the means of holding consist of at leastone pressure button.
 7. A container according to claim 7, in which themeans of holding consist of at least one coil.